World Diabetes Day is on Monday 14 November and to mark, this Steps2Wellbeing is reminding residents in Dorset and Southampton City that help and support is available.

People who live with long-term health conditions such as diabetes are at greater risk of developing anxiety and depression. Living with a physical condition can affect mental wellbeing and, when their mood is low, people can start to adopt unhelpful habits for managing physical health.

Steps2Wellbeing is a free NHS mental wellbeing service run by Dorset HealthCare that offers a dedicated ‘Body and Mind’ service to help people with long-term health conditions – like diabetes – manage their emotional wellbeing.

Vanessa Ballard, Body and Mind lead at Steps2Wellbeing, said: “Living with diabetes can be really challenging. There’s so much to think about with self-management of your diabetes.

“It’s understandable that you might feel worried, stressed or down at times. Our Body and Mind team can help you to understand how your diabetes affects your mental health but also how feeling down or worried can impact on how you manage your condition.

“Steps2Wellbeing offers a variety of approaches to improve how you feel to enable you to take better care of yourself.”

One Steps2Wellbeing patient said: “It’s been useful to talk about things that specifically affect me with my diabetes. I have found the techniques applicable to my lifestyle and it has helped to reduce the impact on myself and others around me of the stress diabetes can cause.”

You can access the Steps2Wellbeing Body and Mind service without going to your GP. Refer yourself quickly and confidentially online at www.steps2wellbeing.co.uk.